So you’re determined to start kitesurfing, and you’re looking for the best approach for getting started.\u00a0 Most of the kitesurfers you’ve talked to have taken lessons, however, kitesurf schools can be quite pricey.\u00a0 Or, you’re just a DIY kind of person, you’ve done it before and think you can do it again for learning kitesurfing.<\/p>\n
But can you teach yourself to kitesurf?\u00a0 While it’s possible to learn on your own, kitesurfing is a high-risk activity if you don’t know what you’re doing, and s<\/strong>elf-learning is generally not worth the risk.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>If you’re a diehard self-learner, however, make sure to follow the following steps :<\/strong><\/p>\n Assuming you’re set on teaching yourself kitesurfing, let’s go through some life-saving points you’ll need to address before starting.\u00a0 But first, do you know what you’re up against?<\/p>\n Among those who are considering learning to kitesurf without any lessons, some may not know the kind of risks they are facing.\u00a0 Watching seasoned kiters sail away happily on the water makes it look easy and safe.\u00a0 Don’t be fooled though.\u00a0 Here are a few examples of things that sometimes happen :<\/p>\n These are based on real-life experiences – and of course, there are dozens more examples.\u00a0 No, I’m not trying to scare you away from kitesurfing, since:<\/p>\n With a minimum level of awareness, you can easily avoid these scenarios or quickly react appropriately to stay safe.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Now let’s look at some of the most important things you’d need to stay safe while teaching yourself kitesurfing.<\/p>\n Some DIYers are hands-on people who prefer doing vs reading.\u00a0 If you skip kite lessons, however, you’re missing out on essential information about wind direction, speed, and self-positioning in relation to it.<\/p>\n Before doing anything with a kite, you imperatively have to understand how to determine where the wind is blowing from and how strong it is<\/strong>, which way to face and turn, and how your kite position and the steering you do will affect the behavior and power of the kite.<\/p>\n If you’re going to do it alone, start with a trainer kite.<\/strong>\u00a0These are much smaller and so bear much less risk than full-size power kites.\u00a0 A trainer kite can still drag you in the sand, but it’s not tied to your body (it’s handheld) and develops much less power.<\/p>\n You can start with a 350 trainer kite for example.\u00a0 \u00a0Make sure you have enough space to fly it without many people around you – e.g. a relatively empty beach, or a public park provided your local state regulation allows it.\u00a0 \u00a0Also make sure to start on a day with light to moderate breeze, not strong gusty 25 knot winds!<\/p>\n Explore the wind window,<\/strong> neutral and power zones with your trainer.\u00a0 Start drawing “8” shapes in the sky left and right, and learn to build up power and feel the drag.<\/p>\n A major cause of kitesurfing accidents and emergency situations is equipment failure<\/strong>.\u00a0 Kite bladders that lose air, lines that snap, chicken loops that snap or slip off, harnesses that break, all these can turn your sand or water session into a nightmare, particularly if the wind is strong.<\/p>\n Many kitesurfing learners think they should get crappy equipment to learn on because it’s going to get abused a lot – kites will crash, lines will get tangled and caught on things, etc.<\/p>\n Unreliable equipment, however, can add a lot of hazard to a learner’s experience – that’s why most kitesurf schools try to renew their gear every year.<\/p>\n If you’re learning on your own, using a kite, kite lines and harness which\u00a0are in decent shape, it will help reduce the risk of injury to you and any bystander.\u00a0\u00a0Check out my post on getting the right kite for a beginner<\/a>.<\/p>\n While most kitesurf school students wear a helmet<\/strong> while learning to fly a kite, I rarely see self-learners do.\u00a0 Helmets are not just for school insurance, they’re a very important thing to have.\u00a0 Two main reasons come to my mind :<\/p>\n An impact vest<\/strong> is another thing you want to wear, both on the beach and the moment you get into the water.\u00a0 For the water phase, a lifejacket may be an even better alternative in case you get dragged out at sea or knocked unconscious by your board (yes, these things do happen !)<\/p>\n If you’re not sure about what to get for safety vest or helmet, my recommended safety gear<\/a> page can give you a good starting point.<\/p>\n By the way, if you’re learning kitesurfing on your own, please DO NOT use a board leash without wearing a helmet!<\/strong> If you don’t wear a helmet, take the leash out, you can always body drag to recover your board.<\/p>\n One more thing: I strongly advise you get a line cutter<\/a>, a small tool with a blade that can save your life if your lines get tangled up in your harness, your board, some rocks etc.\u00a0 Harnesses typically have a small line cutter pocket to stash it in.\u00a0 Make sure to get familiar with taking it out (e.g. while under water).<\/p>\n I know what you’re thinking: if I had a kitesurfer friend to teach me, then I would no longer be teaching myself, would I? That would be the same as taking lessons.<\/p>\n What I’m talking about here is just asking a kitesurfer friend to come and spend a half hour with you on the beach to help you launch and land your kite, and give you a few pointers.\u00a0 If you’re still learning to pilot your power kite, he\/she can grab you by the harness handle to help you fight traction and learn to better lean back against the wind.<\/p>\n Your friend will also help point out your most obvious mistakes, such as pulling down the bar at the wrong time or waiting too long before steering back up as your kite is heading downward.<\/p>\n That’s not typically too much to ask from a friend, and it’s usually something kitesurfers find pleasant and amusing – I’d gladly spend some time on the beach with a learning friend to give them some pointers.\u00a0 Teaching them to kitesurf from scratch, on the other hand, would involve excessive commitment and responsibility.<\/p>\n If you’re going to teach yourself kitesurfing, it’s crucial that you pick an appropriate location with the right wind conditions.\u00a0 You need a place with\u00a0 :<\/p>\n So is it all worth it? If your goal is to save money, probably not.\u00a0 You’ll still have the cost of getting a trainer kite and the kitesurfing equipment you’ll learn on.<\/p>\n Of course, you may have some equipment available to you at little or no cost (e.g. friends).\u00a0 \u00a0But even assuming it’s in good enough state to make it safe, chances are you’re going to abuse it quite a bit<\/strong> while you’re learning, and may have to replace it for the person you borrowed it from.<\/p>\n If you choose the lessons path, on the other hand, the school’s equipment will be the one to take the beating instead, so that’s savings right there.<\/p>\n But the most significant potential cost of learning kitesurfing on your own is in hospital bills and possible lawsuits<\/strong> for injuring yourself or someone else – these could even last for a lifetime.\u00a0 If you learn through a kitesurfing school, you’ll normally be covered by their insurance.\u00a0 If you go it alone, though, consider purchasing insurance yourself.<\/p>\n Another side consequence of causing an accident on yourself or someone else is that it may lead to authorities closing the beach to kitesurfing<\/strong>, something that will really upset the local kitesurfers and get you banned for it!<\/p>\n If like me, you’re the self-learning type, my advice to you is to still start with a few lessons to cover the most important aspects from a safety standpoint – even though you may only take lessons for some key parts of the full learning process.<\/p>\n Start by reading up on basic wind theory, check out some Youtube videos, then get your hands on a trainer kite and get familiar with steering, window positioning, and traction without any risk.<\/p>\n Then, book a few lessons in a good kitesurf school<\/a> to learn how to set up your power kite and lines in a bulletproof way, how to launch and land the kite (lots of accidents there), how to trigger the quick release, what to do if you kite crashes, how to control your kite with one hand, how to body drag and relaunch, and how to water start.<\/p>\n If you’re a smart learner, you should be able to get these steps down in 4 to 5 hours of instruction, and then freely move on to more self-learning.<\/p>\n So you’re determined to start kitesurfing, and you’re looking for the best approach for getting started.\u00a0 Most of the kitesurfers you’ve talked to have taken lessons, however, kitesurf schools can be quite pricey.\u00a0 Or, you’re just a DIY kind of person, you’ve done it before and think you can do it again for learning kitesurfing. 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Are you aware of the dangers involved in kitesurfing?<\/h2>\n
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Are you patient enough to read up on wind window, direction, speed and safety measures?<\/h2>\n
Do you have access to a trainer kite to learn flying?<\/h2>\n
Can you count on reliable kiteboarding equipment?<\/h2>\n
Do you have access to basic safety gear?<\/h2>\n
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Can you ask a kitesurfer friend to spot you?<\/h2>\n
Do you have access to a safe spot with decent conditions?<\/h2>\n
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Is teaching yourself kitesurfing worth it?<\/h2>\n
Wrapping up<\/h2>\n
\nPhoto credits :
\nFeatured image: “Kitesurf – Ile de R\u00e9<\/a>”\u00a0(CC BY 2.0<\/a>)\u00a0by\u00a0Giancarlo – Foto 4U<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"